You Can Cry on my Shoulder
by Chelsey-chan
Summary: Sakura's parents have been killed... will Sasuke help her get through it... will she become an avenger? SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1: Death

Chapter 1: Death  
  
Team 7 of the Hidden Leaf Village had completed their final mission of the day. A woman had lost her cat in the forest,and their job was to find it. It took all day to find the cat, so it was sunset by the time they finished.   
  
  
  
"That mission took too long." Sakura said. "I told my parents I would be home in time for dinner. I'm late!Bye Guys!"  
  
"Bye Sakura-chan! " Naruto shouted after her." Ah! Iruka-sensei is treating me to ramen tonight! I'm late!" Naruto ran to the ramen shop.  
  
Sasuke didn't have any dinner plans, he never did. He lived alone, but so did Naruto. Iruka-sensei liked Naruto, and treated him to ramen once a week. The sun had set over the village, it was night now. Sasuke looked up to the sky. He could tell it was going to rain soon, so he hurried home. Sakura also noticed it would rain, so she hurried home also. She had a disturbing thought as she approached her house. She had an odd feeling something wasn't right. She walked into the silent house. 'Why is it so quiet?'she thought. "Mom? Dad?" Sakura said. She could hear the steam from food cooking on the stove as she walked in. She walked into the living room, and then she froze. She was solid as she saw her parents bodies on the floor. She started to run over to him when a ninja jumped in front of her.   
  
"What have you done to my parents??" She said with a quivering voice. The ninja appeared to be foreigner. He looked pretty tough just as he was, then four other ninjas appeared. She was outnumbered. The ninjas started to laugh, and then they attacked. Sakura was in a state of shock, so she couldn't put up much of a fight. The ninjas were obviously Jounin. They moved so fast she couldn't even see them. They started hitting her, throwing shuriken, and kunais at her. She managed to hit a few and block some of the objects thrown at her, but she was no match. She was in severe pain. The ninjas stopped, as a ninja with a cruel face came over to deal the final blow. He took out his kunai, raised it over his head, but to everyone's surprise, a ninja stopped him.   
  
"Not now, I just received orders to leave immediantly. Forget the girl for now, you can kill her another day." He said calmly. After that, the ninjas quickly sped out the door. Sakura got to her feet, and started to run after them. She got out of the door, and relized she couldn't pursue them. She didn't have any strength left. Thunder sounded, and she rain slowly fell. It was as if her tears were coming from the sky. She crawled into the house. She looked at her parents. He father had three kunai in him, and her mother had several shurikan on her back. She started tearing up, she couldn't cry very well because she was still in shock. She suddenly felt scared. She had to tell somebody. She had to get help! She crawled out of their front door. She got to her feet and tried to walk down the street. Kakashi-sensei lived on the other side of town,Naruto and Sasuke were also somewhat far. She realized Sasuke was closest. It would take her about seven minutes to get there.  
  
  
  
Sasuke was still on his way home. It wasn't raining too hard, so he didn't hurry anymore. He felt like taking a walk. He passed his house, and just a minute later he saw something at the end of the street. He couldn't tell who it was yet. The figure seemed to be almost crawling. It was hunched over, clutching it's arm. The figure collapsed. It stopped crawling. Sasuke looked closely and he could see a reddish outfit and pink hair. SAKURA!  
  
"Sakura?" He yelled. He ran as fast as he could to see what was wrong. He ran and ran. What could be wrong with her?? He finally reached her and she looked up.  
  
"Sasuke-kun..." She said quivering." I need your help."  
  
Sasuke got scared all the sudden. Sakura had tears in her eyes, and she was beaten badly. Blood was running down her arms, legs, and face. She also had a few bruises. He noticed she had a shuriken in her shoulder, but it wasn't deep. He didn't know why he was so scared, and it surprised him even more that he felt rage within him.  
  
" Who..." he said," who hurt you?" He was on his knees looking at her seriously. "What's happened?" 


	2. Chapter 2: You can Cry on my Shoulder

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I didn't create it.  
  
Hey! I hope you are enjoying the story. This particular chapter is very soft.This story will have a lot of action in it and some romance. Read and Review Please!  
  
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Chapter 2: You Can Cry on my Shoulder  
  
Sasuke was very worried, he couldn't hide it. He wasn't even thinking about that now. He didn't like-like Sakura, but he did care about her as his teamate and friend. He realized the Sakura and Naruto were both his friends. If you are together everyday you grow on each other at least.  
  
It was hard for Sasuke to believe this. Sakura was beaten badly, he had never seen her shed this much blood. He wanted to know who did this. Was it a foreign ninja? Was the village being invaded? He kept his guard up.  
  
"Sasuke-kun... I need your help," she started with a quivering voice."I... my family... we were attacked. My parents are hurt badly, they need help."  
  
  
  
"Well, where are they??" He asked," Who did this? Why?"  
  
"They're at my house." Sakura said. She was lying on the ground looking up at Sasuke. Sasuke had been on his knees. He quickly picked Sakura up in his arms and raced to her house. They reached the house, and Sasuke could tell something had happened. They walked through the front door, which was open, and went into the house.  
  
Sasuke was shocked. There was blood on the floor, furniture, and walls. There were kunai and shurikens on the ground and two bodies also. They ran over to them. Sasuke couldn't believe this. He checked them over... they were dead. This brought back memories of Sasuke's past. He came home one day... to find his parents on the floor... dead. The killer, his brother Itachi, standing over the bodies. That was when he became an avenger.  
  
Sasuke looked over at Sakura. This was the first time she had gotten a good look at them. He looked at her eyes... as a tear drop from them.   
  
"Sakura..." he started. Sakura was tearing up now. He realized what she was thinking. He had gone through the same thing. He knew exactly what she thinking. He knew that everything after this wouldn't be easy.  
  
"Why..." Sakura said," Why..." She started sobbing. Sasuke looked around. It was too late to pursue the ninjas... they were long gone by now. He decided to comfort Sakura now.  
  
"Sakura..." he said. He was looking at her seriously and as if he was sorry.  
  
"Sasuke-kun?" she said holding back her tears. Sasuke noticed and held her hand.  
  
"Sakura... let it all out," Sasuke said. " You can cry on my shoulder." Sakura was amazed with Sasuke. She wasn't even thinking about Sasuke as her crush now. She laid her head down on him and just cried. Sasuke didn't mind.. but he did think about this.  
  
'Why would ninjas attack the Harunos?' He thought, "Would Sakura try to take revenge against the ninjas?" He realized that he and Sakura were a lot alike now. He looked at the girl who had had a crush on him ever since she was little. He always told her she was annoying, but she had always loved him. Would this change anything? 


	3. Chapter 3: The Hospital

READ THIS!!!!: Hey sorry if I kept you waiting. It's a holiday here so we're busy. I forgot to add in the last chapter's comments that I'm sorry chapter 2 was so short. I just had to build up the moment lol. This chapter is just something to keep the story going and it shows a tiny bit of Sasuke's past. This is my first fanfic ever so I'm glad you're enjoying it.  
  
[ TEXT ] = Inner Sakura  
  
Well, anyway... the story continues(there will be more chapters)...   
  
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Chapter 3: The Hospital  
  
Sakura had had a rough night. Sasuke told her to cry and let all the pain out. She eventually cried herself to sleep. Sasuke stared at her, wondering how this would affect her. He took a good look around her house. There was no trace of the ninjas. They had no clues. He figured the ninjas were long gone and it was too late to pursue them, but he still had to call Kakashi. He pulled Sakura into his arms and carried her up to her room. He went back downstairs to her phone to dial Kakashi's number.  
  
"What?" A sleepy voice said."It's midnight go away."  
  
"Kakashi!" Sasuke growled, "Wake up! This is an emergency!"  
  
Sasuke explained the situation to Kakashi. Sasuke said the ninjas were gone without a trace. Kakashi said that they would still conduct a wide search for the criminals. He came over with an Anbu squad. They inspected the place and covered the bodies of the dead Harunos. Sasuke figured Sakura had had it rough enough tonight, and let her sleep. He took Kakashi up to her room to inspect her injuries.   
  
"These injuries are pretty bad..." Kakashi said. " They aren't very serious though. But, I would feel better if we took her to the hospital just in case."   
  
"May I go with you?"  
  
"You want to come?" Kakashi asked suspiciously. 'Sasuke isn't acting liked himself,' Kakashi thought. ' I wonder what's up.'  
  
"Yes." Sasuke replied seriously. Kakashi figured it was best not to argue, so he took Sasuke and Sakura to the hospital. Sakura was being examined while Saskue waited outside the room. He listened in on everything that the doctors were saying. He could tell Sakura wasn't in very bad shape, but the doctors still had some concern. Kakashi turned around the corner to see Sasuke still standing outside the room.  
  
"Sasuke you're still here?" Kakashi questioned. Sasuke didn't even look tired. It was almost sunrise.  
  
"Yeah" Sasuke replied. He figured he wouldn't be able to do anything at home. He wouldn't be able to sleep until he found out about the state of Sakura. He was worried about her, not just because of her wounds, but everything that happened. He remembered how he felt after his clan's death. Sakura was always cheerful, and he would hate to see that go away.  
  
"Alright," the doctor said as he was coming out of the room. "She should be fine after a night's rest. You may go in now." Sasuke nodded and went inside. She had some bandages and just some scratches. Sasuke grabbed a chair to sit next to Sakura. She had sat by his side when he was in the hospital, and though he never told her, it meant a lot to him. He would do the same for her. He sat down in the chair and grabbed her hand. He was surprised to find it trembling. He looked at her face and then it came to him... she was having a nightmare. He had had nightmares almost every night since his parent's death. He would see their bodies... and his brother looking over them. He had the sharingan in his eyes... those horrible evil eyes...  
  
  
  
'Foolish Brother. If you wish to kill me, hate me, deteste me, and survive in an unsightly way...Run...Run...and cling to life.'  
  
  
  
The sun rose over the mountain and shone through the window of the room Sakura was in. She slowly opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was being in her living room with Sasuke... crying over her parent's death. It took her a moment to realize she was in the hospital. She turned her head to see Sasuke sitting in a chair next to her... holding her hand. She blushed inside. He turned his head to look at her.  
  
"You're awake?" He asked. "How are you feeling?" She was surprised to see the look of concern in his eyes.  
  
"I feel ok," she replied. "I'm a little sore, but fine."  
  
"I'm glad," he said.  
  
Kakashi entered the room smiling. He had a tray with some food on it. He stopped when he realized he interupted a tender moment.  
  
"Good morning Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said smiling. [ Damn that Sensei!!!!!! ]  
  
Meanwhile... back in the village, we see Naruto standing at the meeting spot all alone.  
  
"HEY! WHERE IS EVERYBODY?????"  
  
Naruto was pissed off. Were they playing a prank on him? Or is something... wrong? Naruto was worried about both of these thoughts. He decided he would yell at them later. Well... he would pound Sasuke and Sensei... but not Sakura-chan. Little did he know that he was the only one in the village unaware of the attack on the Harunos. Two villagers past by and Naruto managed to hear part of what they were saying.  
  
"and then they attacked little Sakura Haruno. Poor dear is in the hospital now." Naruto almost fainted in shock. Sakura had been attacked??? She was in the hospital?? That's where everyone was!  
  
"I'm coming Sakura-chan!" He screamed as he ran off to the hospital. He quickly ran into Sakura's room. She had a wound in her shoulder and several scratches, but she was ok.   
  
"Naruto?" She said. He was giving her an odd look as though he was going to cry. He ran to kneel beside her bed.   
  
"Sakura-chan are you ok???" He said. Before she could answer, Sasuke came into the room holding a tray with some breakfast. Naruto was pissed that that bastard got here before him. Sasuke realized they forgot to inform Naruto there would be no training today.  
  
"So I see you found out," Sasuke said. He actually felt bad for Naruto because no one told him.  
  
"No thanks to you!"  
  
Sasuke just brushed Naruto off and sat in a chair. Sakura seemed better today. The whole village probably knew about the tragedy by now. He couldn't stop wondering who attacked Sakura's family and why. Her parents were normal people... and he didn't think they had anything worth value. He remembered why his parents died... they were a measuring stick... to test his power... a measuring stick!  
  
"SASUKE!" Sasuke looked up to see Naruto and Sakura staring at him. He was sweating and his hands were fists. His tray had dropped to the floor.  
  
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah... I'm fine," Sasuke said. "Fine." 


	4. Chapter 4: The Word is Spread

Yay! A new chapter. We're gonna get deep in ch. 4 + 5 and then there will be A LOT of action after that. hehehe I can't wait ^_^. Remember that the brackets mean inner sakura. I just want to say thank you to all of the people who read this. Thank you so much for all of the reviews! It really means a lot to me.This is my first fanfic ever and I'm glad to hear that people are enjoying it. Ok here we go...  
  
' TEXT '= Thoughts  
  
Chapter 4: The Word is Spread  
  
After a long day, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto decided they needed to get away from the hospital. After Sakura woke up, Kakashi and several other jounin ninjas had to question her about the attackers. They needed to know what they looked like, what they did, how many of them there were... it was frustrating. It brought back to many painful memories. They headed over to the ramen stand for some late lunch, and after that they would do some training. Kakashi said they could take the week off (because of Sakura). Surprisingly, Sakura said that she thought they should train. What would she do anyway? She wanted to get out the house. She couldn't go into the living room, because she would see the image of her parents bodies laying on the floor.   
  
As they were heading to the forest for training, Ino came running up behind them. It appeared that Team 8 had been on a mission, so they probably didn't know.  
  
"Hey Sasuke-kun!" Ino screamed. " Did you miss me? Oh I see you're going to train! You're so great Sasuke-kun!"  
  
Sasuke could care less. Ino was hoping for a reaction... then her eyes fell on Sakura. Ino was jealous of Sakura being on Sasuke's team. They were rivals for Sasuke's love.   
  
"Oh well if it isn't the big forehead. Aww and I see you have some scratches... did your forehead get in the way while you were training? Or did it weigh you down and you fell? Haha. Sakura you are so weak compared to your teamates."  
  
Sasuke glared at Ino and shot his eyes over at Sakura. He could tell she was going to cry. He and Naruto were trying to get her mind off that. He looked at Naruto who was fuming. Ino was giggling, but she seemed a bit shocked that Sakura wasn't insulting her back. She figured Sakura was just being weird, so she preceded in talking about how large Sakura's forehead was. Naruto and Sasuke were annoyed and worried about Sakura. Finally, they couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"WILL YOU SHUT UP??!!" They said together.  
  
Ino jumped backwards. She was shocked that they yelled at her like that and Sakura was just standing there.  
  
"Sakura's family was attacked last night... her parents were murdered," Naruto said. "She was able to make it out alive."  
  
Ino's eyes widened. Sakura couldn't take it anymore, she ran home.  
  
"Sakura?" Sasuke yelled after her. "Damn you Ino! We were trying to comfort her, and it was working until you came along."  
  
"Sasuke-kun..." Ino said. Sasuke and Naruto were heading over to Sakura. Sasuke stopped and turned his head.  
  
"Ino... I never liked you... and I never will. Will you just get out of my face..." Sasuke said coldly. Ino was shocked. She hadn't expected that, but she felt like she deserved it. Just because she was Sakura's rival, didn't mean she forgot they used to be best friends. She didn't know about Sakura '... poor Sakura...I didn't mean it.' She knew how fragile Sakura could be. Ino had rescued her from being teased in the past. She gained confidence after that, because Ino gave it to her. But... after Sakura found out Ino liked Sasuke...they didn't like each other anymore. Ino would now tease the girl she used to protect from being teased. Sakura always yelled at her, calling her names like Ino-pig.   
  
'I have to find a way to make this up to her...I still hate her... or do I??' Thousands of thoughts were going through Ino's mind. Sakura used to be her best friend...but they were rivals now. But, I decent friend would comfort her... but they weren't friends anymore!   
  
'THIS IS TOO CONFUSING!' Ino decided she needed to make sure Sakura was ok and apologize. The Haruno's funeral was to be held the next day, so Ino would attend it. She ran to her family's flower shop to get some flowers for Sakura.  
  
  
  
After the run in with Ino, Sakura ran home. She couldn't bare it... she felt alone. Naruto and Sasuke had knocked on the door, but she told them she just didn't feel like training anymore. She held no ill will against Ino... she didn't know. She was just upset when she thought about her parents. She realized... she was weak like Ino said. She couldn't protect her family. She couldn't do anything.  
  
"Sakura-chan! Who cares about training? We want to know if you are alright!" Naruto was still at the door screaming. They refused to leave.  
  
"Thanks for the concern guys, I'll be fine," Sakura said. " I'll be fine."   
  
"If you're sure Sakura-chan..." Naruto said calmly. "We'll see you tomorrow at the funeral."  
  
Just the thought of the funeral made Sakura feel sick. But, she needed to say goodbye... she had to go. Sasuke wasn't convinced she was fine, so without her knowing, he jumped into a tree in her backyard. He kept an eye on her house, to make sure the attackers didn't return. He kept asking himself why he was doing this? He just felt like she needed to be looked after. He felt closer to her now. Suddenly, Sasuke heard rustling in the bushes. He pulled out his kunai and aimed it at the bush, but he stopped as he saw who was there. Naruto was sitting in the bush watching over Sakura's house too. But, he had fallen asleep and tipped over.   
  
" Idiot. " Sasuke said, but he couldn't help but smirk.  
  
The day of the funeral came. The rest of Team 7 came to escort Sakura. To her surprise, over half of the village came. All of the rookies and their family came. A lot of ninjas from the Chuunin exam came as well. Gai and his team were there, and Rock Lee came over to Sakura.  
  
" I'm sorry Sakura-san," Lee said quietly. She gazed into his...unique...eyes.... but didn't care. She didn't see that "unique" guy in front of her, she saw a friend. He motioned to give her a hug, and she decided to accept it. Lee blushed. All of the rookies, their senseis, everyone came by her to say "I'm Sorry". Then, Ino waited after they were all through to speak.  
  
"Sakura..."  
  
"Ino..."  
  
"Sakura," she began." I just wanted to say I'm sorry for your loss and to apologize for my rudeness yesterday."  
  
"Ino I'm not mad at you for that," Sakura replied. " Don't worry about that."  
  
  
  
"I know we're rivals, but I would never stoop so low." Ino said. She shook Sakura's hand and placed some flowers on Sakura's parent's grave. Everyone had left, except her team. They stood by her side.   
  
"Will you be alright Sakura?" Kakashi-sensei asked softly.  
  
"Yeah..." she replied." I think I'm going to take a walk, I'll see you all later."  
  
She walked off, feeling the cold autumn breeze sweep by, and began to think. Naruto and Kakashi walked off, but Sasuke couldn't. For some reason he had this horrible feeling of concern for his teammate.   
  
'What is this feeling?' Sasuke asked himself.   
  
Kakashi looked back with the corner of his exposed eye. Sasuke was walking into the forest. " It seems both of them have feelings to sort out." He smiled... then gave an even larger smile as he pulled out Come, Come Paradise. =)  
  
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Ok, I know some of you probably thought this was a boring chapter... like I said... this was another just keep the story going chapter. It showed some emotion and I just had to get some other characters involved. We have the real emotional chapter next Ch. 5! It may take me a bit to sort out all of my feelings for it. Yikes! Then we have ACTION that will happen. Hehehehehe, and then some emotion at the end. *Cool Ending* well I still have to think about what it will be. OK well it is REALLY late or should I say early now. So, I'm going to bed night night! 


	5. Chapter 5: Sakura's Feelings

Yay! Here is chapter 5! I sorry if the last chapter was boring for some of you. This chapter had a lot of heavy emotions and feelings. We'll find out mostly what Sakura is feeling. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy! ^ . ^  
  
Chapter 5: Sakura's Feelings  
  
Sakura took a walk through the woods to sort out her thoughts, little did she know Sasuke was following her. But, Sasuke didn't know why he was following her. He wanted to make sure she was going to be ok. He wanted to make sure she wouldn't do anything crazy. He also had a bad feeling he was being watched. He kept to the tops of the trees so Sakura wouldn't notice him.  
  
Sakura walked through the forest, and came to a clearing. She felt the cool breeze brush her face. She headed over to the tree in the middle of the clearing. The leaves were rustling in the wind. She looked at the sky, there were clouds scattered around. Everything was quiet except for the sound of the wind on the branches. She began to wonder about her life and what would come. What would she do now he had no family? She had a weird emotion coming over her, but she couldn't quite place it. She started to think about her friends, and the way they were.  
  
Naruto had always care about her. He had had a crush on her for some time now, but she never returned his feelings. He was always loud and annoying at first, but she had grown fond of him lately. She trusted him now. Her feelings about him changed when she found out it was he who saved her from the grip of the sand. Naruto was more powerful than he looks. He must be, because he defeated Gaara. Naruto was ignored, the village hated him. He had no parents, so he was alone growing up. He must have suffered more than she had. But, she and Sasuke had saved him. He isn't alone anymore. Sasuke...  
  
Sasuke was a different story. She loved Sasuke-kun. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one. Every girl made it known to Sasuke if they liked him. He knew she was nuts for him. She would try to be friendly, but he always gave her a cold reply. 'Why is he so cold to me?' She thought of all the times he ignored her. They had gotten closer during the chuunin exam though. Sasuke didn't seem to care about anyone at first. He didn't care about any of the girls that had crushes on him. He didn't seem to have feelings for girls. He was the most popular guy without and friends, because he didn't allow them. He was a member of the Uchiha clan, which had been totally eliminated by his brother. Sasuke told her he was an avenger. During the chuunin exam he said," I am an avenger. I must do whatever I can to obtain power, even if I have to let the devil take hold of my body."He had the cursed seal activated then, so maybe he didn't know what he was talking about. Sasuke came around a bit, he treated Naruto and her better now. They were all close now. But, Sasuke would never be truly happy until he had settled his revenge. At first, that was all that mattered to him. Now he has friends that matter to him. She understood his pain now. She understood why he had treated her coldly those times. His parents were killed too, but not by a stranger, his own brother.  
  
She hadn't been thinking of Sasuke-kun as her love lately. She was too focused on her tragedy. She started to think, ' Sasuke-kun has been acting very odd lately.' She remember the night when it happened, Sasuke saw her in the street, he was very worried. He carried her home, and let her cry on his shoulder. He comforted her in a way others could not. She realized he had understood her pain as she had understood his. She realized that he has hardly left her side since then. He was waiting by my bedside at the hospital and with me at the funeral. The only times she hadn't seen him were last night when she went to bed and now. Little did she know that he still protecting her both of those times. She was still in love with Sasuke-kun, but she had a new respect for him now. He was there for her. She was glad and very grateful for Sasuke kindness, but she still wondered...  
  
She began to think about the attackers. It was a whole group of what seemed like foreign ninjas. There was that man with the cruel face who almost killed her, and then the man who stopped him. He said that they received orders to leave.. orders... from who? Why were her parents killed. Kakashi promised that the ANBU would hunt down the attackers and also provide the information needed. Her parents were just normal people, they didn't have any contact with foreigners. They were kind people and weren't involved in such things. They were just innocent people. She made a fist with her hand. She couldn't wait until those ninjas were found and caught. She became angry. She started to pant, but then took a deep breath. She calmed down.  
  
Sakura stood up and looked up into the tree. Her parents, were in a better place, it wasn't like they were suffering where they were. But, they didn't deserve to die. They didn't deserve death. She walked out of the forest to the place where the grave of her parents was (Sasuke followed). She got down on her knees and prayed for them. She would be sad, but she would no longer sob over their death. ' Mom... Dad... I love you. ' She thought softly. ' I will always remember you and you will always be in my heart.' She said goodbye and placed a rose on their grave. She turned away from the grave. Her eyes became focused now.  
  
"It wasn't their time to die. I'm over their death now, but not over you.' She said, thinking about the person behind this, ' I will hunt you down even if it takes the rest of my life. I will never stop looking for you." Her hands turned to fists again.  
  
"When I find you...I will kill you," she said. " and I will show you no mercy."  
  
  
  
Sasuke looked at the determined look on Sakura's face. It wasn't a weak look, it wasn't a love-sick look, it was determined. He knew she would stop at nothing until she gained her revenge, just like him. He just prayed that she wouldn't get killed in the process. He remembered that hopeful grin she had always had and that shimmer in her eyes. He wished that would never go away as Sakura looked up towards the sky and said,  
  
" I am an avenger now."  
  
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Ok, Sakura isn't sobbing anymore. Now she's focused on the ones who did this. Basically Sasuke is wishing that she won't get killed or taken from him. He also hopes that she won't turn into a cold person who only focuses on getting stronger for her revenge (like him). I may do a chapter on Sasuke's feelings before the action ^_^. hehe the action will be hard to write because I have to decide on which Jutsus and all but it will be fun. I know this one was bit shorter, but I think the emotions said here say enough. I hope you like the fic. Thanks for reading ^_^. 


	6. Chapter 6: The Fighting Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I didn't create it, but I did create this story.  
  
Yay! Another chapter! I hope I'm not going to fast. I decided to do add so Sasuke feelings at the beginning. I hope you liked the last chapter. It had some heavy emotion in it. I think this one will have a lot of emotion but not as heavy. Thank you so much for reading and especially those who reviewed. I noticed that some people added me to the fav. stories list. Thank you and it really means a lot to me. Ok now here's the chapter.  
  
Chapter 6: The Fighting Begins  
  
Sasuke was up in a tree watching over Sakura. She stood by her parent's grave with a look a determination. She was an avenger like him now, but he would do anything to change that. Sakura was bright and cheerful, but now she might become hard and cold. He had. He became set on his revenge, and wouldn't concentrate on anything else. He just wanted to become stronger and stronger, until he could defeat Itachi. He just prayed that that wouldn't happen to Sakura. Sakura was his light in all the darkness that consumed him. He was still cold and bitter, but she helped him relax again. Now, he has friends that are dear to him, but he didn't exactly want that. He didn't want those dear to him to be in danger... he couldn't watch as he lost them again. Having Sakura cheered him up, even though he wouldn't admit it. But, if she were to become like him, her light would go out. She would be consumed by darkness, just as he would.   
  
' Why do I care so much for her?' Sasuke thought as he sat in the tree. She had always loved him, he pushed her away, but she never gave up. Half of him was annoyed, but another half was somewhat flattered. He would never let that show. ' Do I love her?' Sasuke thought. Was it possible for him to love someone before he completed his revenge? Sasuke didn't know. But, he truly cared for her. Now she was alone, but she still had her team. They were the only ones there for her now. Sasuke remember life before he got his team. Everyday he came straight home, and her heart was filled with loneliness. After being with his team everyday, he had grown to like and appreciate them. He never realized how much her appreciated Sakura there. He thought about life without her, and realized he wouldn't be able to live without her. He swore that he wouldn't let her get consumed by her revenge. He also swore to protect her.  
  
Sakura started to walk away from the grave. A cold wind brushed against her as she rubbed her arms. She headed home and Sasuke followed. He couldn't leave her alone, fearing she would get attacked. Sakura looked at the blood stains across her living room, it made her angry. She grabbed her shuriken holster and attached it to her pajama bottoms. She had been sleeping with it since the incident... just in case. She fell asleep, knowing that she was in for another night of nightmares. She had been having nightmares that were so frightening that she shivered in her sleep. She always woke up breathing hard. A glass of water would help her get back to sleep.  
  
Morning finally came, and Sakura had informed Kakashi-sensei she would train today. She got out of bed, dressed into her red dress, combed her hair, and placed her forehead protecter on. Sasuke figured she would be leaving soon, so he decided to head to the bridge. He hopped down from the tree in Sakura's yard, and raced to the bridge. Sakura arrived on the bridge shortly afterwards. Naruto and Sasuke looked up. Naruto had a large grin on his face, but she could tell he was still concerned. Sasuke was the same as always, but he seemed to look at her more now.  
  
" Good Morning Sakura-chan! " Naruto said cheerfully.  
  
" Morning Naruto." Sakura said smiling, she didn't want to worry them. " Morning Sasuke-kun."  
  
"Morning." Sasuke said, looking at her in the corner of his eye.  
  
About forty-five minutes later, the trio had sunken down on the ground. They all leaned against the bridge. Naruto was zoned out, and Sasuke and Sakura had the classic anime sweatdrop on the side of their faces. All of their eyes were white. Finally, Kakashi-sensei graced them with his presence (hehehe I had to put that in there).   
  
" Ahh Good Morning friends," Kakashi-sensei started. " My alarm clock went off two minutes early, I thought it might be an evil plot, so I stayed in bed a little longer."  
  
His students just glared at him. They weren't in the mood to question him now. Kakashi wanted to take things lightly today for Sakura, but she seemed to be acting normal. He took them off into the forest. He made them each do some stretching excercises before they started their excercise.  
  
  
  
"Alright, not that our blood is pumping, time for the real excercise." Kakashi said. " Our teamwork has been a little off lately, so I think you should all practice some techniques together.  
  
The students nodded, they all thought this was a good idea. Kakashi smiled and pulled out Come Come Paradise. His students fainted.  
  
" Well I want to be surprised," He said. " But in the meantime, I have to go to a meeting with the ANBU. They're still hunting the criminals."  
  
Sakura winced and everyone looked at her. In a POOF, Kakashi is gone.  
  
" Alright," she said. " Let's go.  
  
They went deep into the forest, and came to a some clear area. Before they had time to practice, something in the bushes rustled. They all took out of kunai. They went back to back in a circle. They heard another noise, a twig snapped. Sasuke's sharingan appeared in his eyes.  
  
" Do you see anything Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered.  
  
"Not yet."  
  
All of the sudden several shuriken came flying out. The trio dashed away. Several more came, but they dodged it.  
  
" Show your face coward! " Sasuke said.  
  
" I'm gonna kick your ass!" Naruto said. He did his replication technique.  
  
"Oh you're going to kick my ass?" A voice said. " Not likely."   
  
Naruto was about to yell, but stopped as a ninja appeared. Another one appeared, another, another, another, there must have been twenty ninjas! Naruto gasped, Sasuke was nervous, but Sakura dropped her kunai. She gasped loudly. Naruto and Sasuke looked at her.  
  
" I see you remember us." A ninja laughed. " You knew we'd be coming back.  
  
"Sakura?" Sasuke said. Then, it dawned on him. These were the criminals who attacked her family. He looked at the forehead protecter... they were from the Sound! Sakura picked up her kunai and glared at them.  
  
"What do you want?" She asked them calmly.   
  
" We just came here to finish our job... we have to kill you." The ninja said laughing.  
  
"Not likely." Sasuke stated.  
  
"You'll have to go through me!" Naruto said, trying to look cool.  
  
"And who might you freaks be?" The ninja asked.  
  
"We're her teammates, and if you want her you'll have to fight us as well." Sasuke said, " But, a ninja is supposed to identify himself before he asks the name of another ninja."  
  
" Ahh I see then..." The ninja smiled," Forgive me, my name is Hojo and we are an elite ninja team from the Sound Village." Sakura recognized him immediantly, he was that ninja who stopped the attack. He said they had orders to leave immediantly. Next to him was the ninja with the cruel face who almost killed her.  
  
" This is my fellow shinobi friend Omezo," Hojo said. " He is very eager to kill the Haruno girl, so why don't you just hand her over." He smiled.  
  
" Never." Sasuke and Naruto said. Sakura felt great gratitude towards them. They were sticking up for her, they really cared about her. Sasuke-kun seems to be caring as much as Naruto. But, she became worried, worried they could be killed. She would be responsible. She couldn't bare to lost them, she wouldn't have anyone left. She could fight them, she didn't want them hurt.  
  
"You don't have to..." Sakura started," I'll fight them. I don't want you getting hurt..."  
  
"Sakura," Sasuke interupted. " You are our teammate and friend, and we're not about to let you do this on your own. We're a team and we stick together." Sakura could feel tears in her eyes. This was really Sasuke-kun! Naruto even seemed surprise at Sasuke's words, Sasuke hadn't always been a team player. Naruto nodded in agreement.  
  
"Plus..." Sasuke added," Kakashi sent us out here to train and strengthen our teamwork. Let's kick some ass." He smirked. Naruto and Sakura agreed.  
  
"Thank you." Sakura said.  
  
"Aww how sweet." Omezo said." But, you won't be smiling for long."  
  
"Bring it."  
  
OK the action is starting yay! This will be a cool fight. Then, we will have some more emotion things after it. I'm writing in the car right now, it isn't easy lol. Thanks for reading and I'll update soon. ^_^ 


	7. Chapter 7: Fighting

Another Chapter Yippee. I was out of town when I wrote the last chapter. I wrote part of it during the long car ride and the other part really late at night. I noticed there were a few typos... so I'm so sorry! Well on with the chapter!Thank you very much for all the reviews and for reading my story.   
  
Chapter 7: Fighting  
  
Sasuke observed the surroundings. They were surrounded by 17 ninjas, two of which were Hojo and Omezo. Those two looked pretty powerful. They appeared Chuunin, but they may be Jounin. The ninjas around them looked a little less powerful, they were probably Chuunin, and some looked like skilled Genin. Overall, they didn't look so tough.  
  
" Alright, " Naruto yelled. " Come on and fight you bastards! No one can defeat the great Uzumaki Naruto!" Sakura gave a slight smirk, but she wished he hadn't done that. He always made everyone his enemy by doing that.  
  
" Heh." Hojo started. " Don't get so cocky. Well let's get this over with." He glanced towards the ninjas and commanded them to start the fight. It appeared that he and Omezo would stay aside.  
  
" But...." Omezo said to the ninja. " Don't finish the little girl yet, I want to finish her off personally." He started to laugh. Sakura glared at him. She was surprised as she saw Naruto and Sasuke turn their hands into fists at this. The ninjas all ran around the circular clearing they were in. Sasuke was observing everything with his Sharingan.  
  
" Well what do we have Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said.   
  
" 17 ninjas, including those to," Sasuke said. " We're being attacked by 15 ninjas now.  
  
" 5 each." Sakura said. These ninjas looked like they were easy to beat so they would each fight one. Although, it would be hard if all five came at once.  
  
The ninjas scattered everywhere, throwing shuriken and kunai. The trio dashed away, none of them were hit. Naruto had done his replication technique to a large extent. The real Naruto was fighting off some a ninja while so clones backed him up. He had two other clones made to backup Sakura and Sasuke. They thought Naruto had a good idea, so they each made a clone. Fighting the ninjas was easy now. Naruto was basically beating the crap out the ninjas, Sasuke beat the crap out of them using clever and quick methods, and Sakura did the same, but also found use of the replacement techinique. The clones were starting to get hurt, and the number of ninjas had decreased to nine.  
  
Sakura hit a ninja hard on the head, knocking him out. Suddenly, a ninja came behind her and stabbed her in the back! Naruto was alarmed, but then a POOF! Replacement technique(hehehe). The real Sakura came out behind him and stabbed a kunai in his back. Naruto continued to beat the crap out of the ninjas, but then something unexpected happened. The last two ninjas fighting Naruto made several clones. They all began to perform seals. Naruto frantically punched each of them, hoping it would break whatever seal they were making. He ran up to the first one POOF a clone... POOF a clone... POOF a clone. Where were they? The seal stopped and everything became misty. It was a genjutsu.   
  
  
  
Sakura and Sasuke were away enough that they didn't fall for it. Naruto was engulfed in heavy mist. He couldn't see anyone. He ran wildly searching. Pow! He was hit! Boom! Hit again. The ninjas were hitting him but he couldn't see them. BANG! Everything went black. Sasuke and Sakura looked as Naruto dropped to the ground. Sasuke quickly knocked out the last ninja and ran over. Sakura was screaming inside, ' Please let him be ok!!' . They took out the two ninjas that hurt him, and rushed to his side. He had a large lump on his head, he was unconsious. Sakura grabbed him by the arms and took him out of the way to the edge of the clearing.   
  
She returned to find Omezo and Hojo staring at them. It was just Sasuke and her now.   
  
" Hm...." Omezo said. " Impressive. Very impressive."  
  
"Too bad about your friend though," Hojo started," I wanted to see some more of the fox demon's power." Sakura and Sasuke exchanged looks.   
  
" Wait a minute," Omezo said. " Aren't the Uchiha kid Orochimaru was after?" Sakura gasped, while Sasuke glared at them.  
  
" Yeah," Sasuke started. " Are you working for Orochimaru?"   
  
" Yes, we are faithful to Orochimaru, however he wasn't the one who sent us after the Harunos."  
  
" Orochimaru is not aware of our mission to kill the Harunos," Hojo said. " Our mission now to kill Haruno Sakura." Sakura glared at them, but Sasuke stepped in front of her.  
  
" Over my dead body."  
  
" That can be arranged..." Omezo smirked.  
  
" Wait," Sakura said. " Tell me... who sent you?"  
  
" Well no need for us to tell you now, " Omezo said. " He's here."  
  
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Ok sorry that was so short, I want to have a chapter with an explanation. Alright, chapter 8 coming soon. Then, some more fighting, then some REALLY COOL stuff with fighting. Then some little emotional things, and then some SasuSaku. Hehehehehehehehe. Thanks for reading and reviewing! ^_^ 


	8. Chapter 8: Reasons and Fighting

Hey guys! Next chappie! I don't like leaving cliffhangers too long. BTW I noticed a few typos when I reread my last chapter, sorry, I actually sent it earlier than I wanted to. Ok we're going to learn why her family was attacked. Enjoy reading and thank you for your reviews. They give me confidence ^_^.   
  
Chapter 8: Reasons and fighting  
  
" He's here."  
  
Sakura and Sasuke froze. Suddenly laughter could be heard at a distance. A shadowy figure was approaching the clearing. It had gotten somewhat misty around the clearing. The sky was dark, but it wasn't raining. The figure was walking calmly over to them, it was very tall.  
  
" Hello there," The figure said bowing down. " It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He had a deep voice, but he was being polite. He finally came into view. He was a tall man with long black hair. He wasn't Orochimaru, although he did look a bit like him. But, he had a normal face. Orochimaru had a creepy face that resembled a snake.   
  
" So you are the man who organized this attack?" Sasuke asked firmly. The man smirked.  
  
" Yes," He said. " Indeed I am." Sasuke and Sakura glared at him. Sakura was feeling something strange. Here she was face to face with the man who killed her family. This was the man responsible, this was all his fault. Sasuke looked at her and put a hand on her shoulder. He was slightly in front of her still. The man's eyes fell on Sakura, and he smiled.  
  
" So you are the daughter of Hisato Haruno?" He said. " Sakura Haruno." Sakura smirked, surprising Sasuke.  
  
" Yeah." Sakura said, " But tell... what is it you are called?" She wanted to know how he knew her father. She was glaring at him, the figure bowed again and said,  
  
" Ahhh forgive me, " he stood back up. " Hoshiko." Sasuke stared, this was the man Sakura had to kill. He had to kill Itachi. He remembered how he didn't like Naruto fighting his battle, but he wasn't going to let her fight alone.  
  
" Hoshiko-sama...." Hojo said. " Why have you come here?"  
  
" You idiots were taking too much time," He snapped.  
  
" I also wanted to see my rival's daughter." He added. Sakura gasped. ' Rivals? '  
  
" Why did you attack us?" Sakura asked quickly. Hoshiko laughed.  
  
" He never told you did he?  
  
" What?"  
  
" Your father and I were once best friends. We were also rivals. Your father was once a powerful ninja." Sakura and Sasuke gasped. He hadn't known Sakura's father very well, but he knew he wasn't as ninja. It appeared that Sakura didn't know that either.  
  
" Your father was on the same ninja team with me. He became a very powerful chuunin, but he fell in love with a female ninja. Your mother had taken the chuunin exam with him, and they fell in love. He was about to take the jounin exam, but he found out his wife was pregnant with you. Upon hearing this news... he quit being a ninja. Your father and I argued for a good while, breaking our friendship. He betrayed me. Later on, he told the Hokage that I was practicing forbidden techniques and having contacts with other villagers. ANBU wanted to investigate so I fled the village. Now my alligance is to the Sound. " He pointed to his forehead protecter. " My men and I are were recently on a misson nearby, so I decided to pay your family a little visit. Your father also had some secret scrolls stashed away that we were eager to get hold of."  
  
They were shocked by all this. Not once had Sakura's father mentioned any of that. Her anger started rise... then it skyrocketed when he said,  
  
" I must say that it was indeed a joy to settle the score. You should of heard your mother and father... pathetic fools. It was a great joy to kill them. They begged for me to stop... they begged for me to spare you. Ha! Fools! They were a disgrace to the village." Sasuke looked over at Sakura, her face was showing a look of anger and disbelief.   
  
" Alright I'm bored," Hojo blurted out. " Can we kill these kids already?" Hoshiko sighed and nodded. Sakura and Sasuke got ready to fight. Hojo darted forward. Sasuke and Sakura split up. Sasuke started to read his movements with the sharingan. He was just almost as fast as Kakashi. Sakura launched at him with a kunai, he quickly put up his arms to block. The kunai stabbed into his arms. He threw a punch and Sakura jumped off him. Sasuke had jumped into the air, he was making seals very quickly. He started to blow fireballs everywhere. Hojo quickly dodged as fast as he could. He managed to dodge most of them, but a few grazed his shoulder and left a burn.   
  
Sasuke quickly blew another fireball, but Hojo jumped to the left. Sakura smirked as she cut a rope. A trap was set off and about 10 kunai shot out of no where. He dodged but two landed in his leg.  
  
" Damn you!" He said, launching at them. Sasuke charged at him as well. In a flash they both clashed their kunai in the air. Sasuke landed a punch right in his face. Sasuke landed next to Sakura as the ninja was scrambling to his feet. They were about to charge when the ninja suddenly sped forward performing a number of seals. Sasuke and Sakura froze.  
  
"Paralyzation Technique!"  
  
Sasuke was startled, ' I ... I ... I can't move my body!'  
  
OK well we'll have some fighting and a lot of emotion in the next chappie! woo hoo! Then we'll have some really really cool fighting after that then some more emotion. I may try to add some humor in after the fighting is done. Well then, if you want to, please review and tell me what you think ^_^. I'll try to update soon! 


	9. Chapter 9: Choices for Love

Disclaimer: I do not own and I didn't create Naruto.   
  
'  
  
Hey again. Sorry I was a little later than intended because FF was down =P. lol well back to the story. Thanks for reading and reviewing. ^_^  
  
Chapter 9: Choices for Love  
  
" Paralyzation Technique! " Hojo shouted after he performed his seals. Sasuke and Sakura was stiff. They couldn't move... they were paralyzed.  
  
' Damn it! I can't move! ' Sasuke thought. He looked over at Sakura who was struggling as well. They were about 10 feet apart. He looked over at the smiling faces of the enemies. ' This isn't good...'  
  
" Heh, can't move can you?" Omezo said. " Actually you should thank your father for this."  
  
" What? " Sakura gasped. Hoshiko stepped forward.  
  
" It is a technique your father created, it was on the scrolls. It actually is a brilliant technique." Sasuke listened. He really couldn't move his body at all, it was a useful technique. He could only move his head to look around. Omezo suddenly appeared across from Sakura. Sasuke tensed.  
  
" Heh, let's finish you off now. I'll start by using my master technique, and if it doesn't kill you right away I'll give you a slow and painful death." Omezo laughed. Sasuke got very pissed off now. Omezo started to gather chakra in his arms. He was going to use some kind of energy attack and Sakura...Sakura was going to die right in front of him. ' No... no... I won't let it happen... not again.' Sakura was desperately trying to move. A lot of light was coming from his hands. He was starting to aim it at Sakura.  
  
' So it ends like this. Sasuke-kun...maybe he can escape.' Sakura thought. " Sasuke-kun," She said turning her head to Sasuke. " Run... Run .. try to escape if you can. If it wears off after the blow just run... take Naruto... and save yourselves." She couldn't let them get hurt, just like Sasuke couldn't let Sakura die. The blast was fired. Everything after that happened in slow motion.  
  
' Move....' Sasuke screamed in his mind. ' Move... move... come on... MOVE NOW!!!! ' It broke. Sakura gazed at the great ball of light hurdling towards her. Suddenly Sasuke jumped in front of her. The ground was vibrating, Sakura saw Sasuke in front of her. Light overtook them. Then a large explosion. The seal on Sakura broke as she fell to the ground. Sasuke had knocked into her pushing her backwards. As the flash of light faded, she looked to see a figure lying ahead of her.   
  
" SASUKE-KUN!!!!" She screamed and went out of her mind! This time it wasn't an illusion... it was real. People had cast the illusion of Sasuke dying on her so many times. She couldn't stand it. " Sasuke-kun why did you take that blast for me??" She started to cry. " Why?" She laid her head on Sasuke, his heart was beating rapidly! He was breathing! He was alive!  
  
" Sakura..." Sasuke opened his eyes. " Sakura they're way above our level you need to get out of here. You need to get help." He still had some strength in him. Sakura manage to sit him up against a tree. He was wide awake, but still weak and unable to move.  
  
'How?' Hojo thought, ' How did he break that seal? ' Hojo knew that even a Jounin couldn't break that seal. He was amazed that this boy could break it and wanted to know how. Hoshiko however, knew exactly how he broke it. There is only one true way to break this seal...' True Love'.  
  
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Ok I know that was REALLY short sorry! But that was a good ending spot, I actually added some more stuff in here just so it wouldn't be too short. You're in for some long chapters ahead. Sorry again hehe. The next one will be worth it... hehehe love time... then really cool fighting... more love... I really think I've said that enough now. I keep changing my plan for the story as I go because of inspiration. So the next chap. will be mushy. Thanks for reading and reviewing. The next chapter will be up really soon... I'm not cruel to make people wait for cliffhangers. Ohh I can't wait for the next chapter! It's gonna be so fun to write! ^_^ 


	10. Chapter 10: Fighting for Love The Awake...

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I did not create it. I created this story though ^_^.   
  
Ok yet again sorry for that REALLY short chapter but I think it will be worth it ^_^. I've given you 3 chapters in one night so I think that makes up for it. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Ok yay! *sobs* I'm so happy... here we have an emotional chappie for you. I have a bit of a recap in the beginning. This one so far actually appears somewhat short too maybe it's just my screen. Well it's really late at night here so once I post this I'm going to bed. Thanks for reading and reviewing!  
  
' TEXT ' = Thoughts  
  
Chapter 10: Fighting for Love- The Awakening  
  
' True Love.'  
  
" SASUKE-KUN!!!!" Sakura screamed. This time it wasn't an illusion... it was real. ' People have cast the illusion of Sasuke dying on me so many times. I can't stand it!' " Sasuke-kun why did you take that blast for me??" She started to cry, tears slowly fell from her eyes. " Why?" She laid her head on Sasuke, his heart was beating rapidly! He was breathing! He was alive!  
  
" Sakura..." He opened his eyes. He stared into her emerald ones that had tears in them. ' She cries for me... she really cares about me.' He told Sakura that she needed to get help, but then he realized she wouldn't be able to... the enemies wouldn't allow it. She knew this too.  
  
" Sasuke-kun you shouldn't have taken that blast for me. " I said. " Why?" Sasuke stared again, he had done the same thing for Naruto earlier. 'But, it is different for Sakura. I just couldn't bare the thought of her dying.'  
  
" Sakura..." He said. " I won't let you die. I couldn't bare to lose those dear to me again. I never want to experience that again." Sasuke tried to get up, but it hurt. He was ok, but his body was too weak to fight. He couldn't even stand up. The thought that that blast could have skilled Sasuke made me shake. The same thing went for Sasuke the other way around... if he hadn't jumped in.... He was worried now. Now, he couldn't help her anymore. He knew Omezo didn't have enough chakra to repeat that attack, but he was still able to fight. Even if she defeated those to... Hoshiko. He seems almost as powerful as Orochimaru. Orochimaru was stronger than Kakashi and even the Hokage.   
  
Sakura became angry and frightened. These were powerful enemies. She didn't think I could do it... she knew I couldn't. ' What is this feeling?' She felt a lot rushing inside her. She just couldn't sort it out. Her tears fell as she saw her best friends hurt. 'The ones I love are getting hurt and even killed. I know we all will die if I lose. But now, I feel something else besides sadness... anger. They've hurt my love ones... and they were enjoying it. They killed my parents and now the only others dear to me. Sasuke and Naruto tried their best to protect me... it wasn't even their fight. I shouldn't have let them help me. They should have gone for help. It's all my fault. I'm weak. I'm useless. They're all dying because of me... everyone will die because of me! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!'   
  
She was shaking like mad. Sasuke looked at her with worry in his eyes. ' Sasuke-kun...' She thought, ' I can't stand to see you hurt. You've helped me so the most through this. I haven't even been looking at you as my crush lately... you've been a true friend to me. Now... I understand... how you can not understand love. You are afraid to fall in love... I understand how you can be so cold sometimes. Now, I understand your pain.'  
  
She looked over at Naruto's figure, he always had a crush on her. ' I've treated him so poorly sometimes... but he was always there for me... and right now he is there... on the ground... for me.' More tears fell. She couldn't stand this anymore. She thought of her enemies. She remembered her vow to seek revenge against them. But, she knew how revenge could consume you in darkness, like her Sasuke. But, she had to fight them. She wasn't doing this for herself... she had to do this for them! ' I have to do this for those dear to me! I've already lost my parents to them, but I won't lose anymore!'   
  
She was trembling with emotion. Sasuke had never seen this before he noticed her chakra beginning to change. She turned to face her enemies, still on the ground.  
  
" .... You... You... I can never forgive you for this..." She started to get up. " You have killed my parents, my family, and now... now you are trying to hurt the other ones I love most. I hate you...Bastards!!! I will never forgive you. I don't care if you kill me... but for hurting the ones I love... for causing them pain...   
  
I WILL KILL YOU!"  
  
Right as Sakura said these words she moved her head up so they could see her face... the glare of pure hatred in her eyes... there was a ... BOOM! An explosion of chakra litterally vibrated the ground as it came from Sakura. The already dark sky went wild. Her chakra continued to rise. Her power was unreal. Sasuke was in shock. ' Sakura?? Is that really her? Where did all of this power come from... it's unreal!' He remembered how powerful Naruto could become when he was angry. Sasuke always thought of himself as the strongest of the team, and so did everyone else. But now... his teammates are surpassing him. He had never anything close to this power from Sakura. She looked determined... determined to protect her love ones. Haruno Sakura's true powers have awakened.... 


	11. Chapter 11: The Unleashing

Disclaimer: I don't own this anime *sobs* and I didn't create it.   
  
Yippee the next chapter! Thanks for all of your reviews and thanks for reading. ! *cries* You guys are wonderful! Your reviews have given me the confidence to continue writing. At the end I'm going to make an a/n thanking all of you ^_^. Hehe this is the fighting chapter yeah! I'm trying to think of jutsus and all. We get to see Sakura kick some serious butt. Oh Yeah!  
  
Chapter 11: The Unleashing  
  
Sasuke was trembling. He had never seen this Sakura before. ' Is this her true power? ' It was so great he was fearing it. Naruto had shown similar power, although Sasuke figured it came from the ninetales. Sakura had never been weak, unless you compared her to her teammates. She was the smartest one in their ninja academy class. She is powerful, although some people don't realize this. As Sasuke and Naruto have such high potential, it makes Sakura seem weak. He and Naruto had always taken charge of things, so she never really had a chance to fight. He noticed her dramatic change during the Chuunin Exam. When he and Naruto were knocked out, she had protected them. He realized that she had gone through a rough time... doubting herself. She had cut her hair to protect them... and to change into her "new image." He noticed her strength improve and her determination. She succeeded in completing missions and new techniques. Now... she was showing power and determination that he had never seen from her... or anyone for that matter. It just gave him great pain to know he couldn't help her.  
  
Omezo and Hojo stared, even Hoshiko was seemed surprised at her power. Sakura stood before them equally or maybe even stronger. Omezo gaped at her with his mouth open for another second, then he straightened up. However, Hojo was in the position where he was almost backing away. He was trembling with fear. ' This enormous chakra is coming from this... little girl?' Sakura was glaring at them intently. Hojo was afraid to even move, fearing she would be on him the second he tried.  
  
"Heh," Omezo smirked. " You think I'm afraid of this? You're just wasting your chakra. A little girl like you could never defeat such a powerful shinobi like me. You're just as ignorant as those your parents and those boys..."  
  
"Omezo!" Hojo yelled, " Don't..."  
  
"You are all pathetic excuses for ninja. You should have heard your parents screams. Oh how they begged us to spare you, then we slaughtered them. I must say it was quite enjoyable watching them beg for mercy and howl in pain. I can't wait to hear it from you three. You honestly think you can defeat us... heh... little girls. Your chakra is impressive, but don't get a big head..."  
  
" OMEZO STOP!"   
  
"I'll dispose of you, Sakura, and your little friends as well. Don't worry, I'll make sure their death is slow and painful." Omezo was about to laugh, until he saw Sakura's face. She was livid with anger now, litterally trembling with rage. Sakura was giving him a frightening glare that sent chills down his spine,  
  
" I... won't... let... you... you filthy... BASTARD! " (A/N: Isn't this guy just asking for it lol)  
  
Suddenly, Sakura launched at Omezo striking his face hard with her fist. Omezo was so surprised he didn't even notice she had moved until she hit his face. It was like she just disappeared and appeared right in front of his face. He was slammed into a tree so hard he actually went into the tree. He looked at the distance he had flown. Sakura hadn't stopped there she quickly gathered chakra to her feet for even more speed. She quickly sped across the clearing in an instant to wear Omezo had landed. She stabbed a kunai into his stomach. Omezo had still been sitting up. Sasuke looked at Sakura with amazement. ' God she's fast! How is this Sakura? When did she get this strong? Damn I need to move!' Sasuke was still to weak to stand.  
  
" Who the hell are you? " Omezo said. He had enough energy to pull out a kunai. He figured this was the best chance since she was so close. Too bad for him that Sakura noticed. She quickly leapt backwards with one foot stomping the ground. She easily dodged the kunai. She approached him again.  
  
" Unlike you... I don't enjoy the suffering of others... but you... you sicken me. I don't care if you hurt me, but when you hurt those I love... you die! "  
  
"What?!?!"  
  
" Good Bye..." Sakura jammed her fist into his beaten up face once more, and everything went dark. She gazed at him for a second before stading. Sakura quickly whipped around to face Hojo. He was standing on the other side of the clearing in fear. Sakura didn't laugh at such things. She walked over to him, not bothering to run. When Hojo noticed he panicked... he started to back away.  
  
" NO! STAY BACK! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" He started to quickly back up. He performed four quick seals,  
  
" PARALYZATION NO JUTSU!" He was panicked now, almost out of his mind. He aimed straight at Sakura, the gush of wind that came from his hands clearly hit her... but she was still walking at a normal pace over to him. She was giving him a glare, but she seemed perfectly calm. She continued to walk.  
  
" NO... STAY AWAY! PARALYZATION NO JUTSU!" He shot it again, clearly no effect. She continued to walk over to him. Hojo let out another frightened scream. Hoshiko felt insulted by this coward, still... he was amazed it took no effect on her. Hojo's whole body was shaking... he was losing his mind... he was so afraid... afraid of this little girl...  
  
" NOO!!!! STAY AWAY FROM ME! GET THE HELL AWAY! PARALYZATION! PARALYZE DAMN IT! PARALYZE!!!!! WHY ARE YOU STILL MOVING??!!!" Hojo was trying his technique so many times, but it didn't work. A normal person would be dead by now. Sasuke was shocked by this display, ' We both were easily captured by that technique before... but it isn't affecting her... it's having absolutely no effect. That idiot is going to run out of chakra.' Sakura was calm just STILL walking over to him. She wanted to smile. Hojo stumbled backwards. He continued to crawl away. He started to throw kunai and shuriken at her. She stopped, and quickly went into an impressive defence. She started to dodge, pulling out her own kunai she started to block them with that. She threw a few shuriken that met his and fell. He started to pull out more weapons and Sakura sighed. He quickly threw them at her and he didn't miss. He had hit her stomach with five kunai. He started to laugh with relief when...  
  
POOF!  
  
Sakura went poof and turned into a log. Hojo was in complete shock, even Hoshiko and Sasuke didn't realize she had used Kawarimi no Jutsu ( Replacement Technique ). Sakura was behind Hojo and she tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, not even noticing her prescence. Sakura looked at the look of horror on his face.  
  
" I'm sorry... Bye." She whispered calmly as she stabbed him with a kunai. She didn't enjoy killing, and those who did are sick. But, Sakura wasn't really sad, because this man hurt her love ones. He didn't bother to stop anyone... he hurt her friends! Anger was boiling in her as she wanted to hit him again, but she stopped. The man was dead. It was just weird seeing him so freaked out and terrified of her. She looked over at Omezo's body, her gathered her hands into fists. She wasn't used to actually killing people, but they definately deserved it. She turned to Hoshiko, who stepped from the shadows.  
  
" Interesting, " He said in a calm voice. " Very Interesting. Quite impressive Sakura." Sakura glared at him, and he was completely calm. Sasuke had a look of bewilderment on his face. He too was somewhat afraid of this power. Sakura seemed to be in perfect control though. He knew that she wasn't wild with power like he and Naruto were. She would do the right thing. ' She killed those people so easily, ' Sasuke thought. ' But this man...this man is on a completely different level. I'm going to sit here... and have to watch her die in front of my eyes. I can't let this happen!' Sasuke struggled again, but he was still wounded. Sakura noticed. She turned to him and met his eyes. There was a moment of understanding between them. Sasuke wanted her to run away, but Sakura wouldn't leave him behind. She had to avenge her parents and him and Naruto. This was her battle. She wouldn't let this man kill anymore people. She was going to kill him, even if she was killed in the process. Sasuke gave her pleading eyes as if saying, " Please... Don't..." Sakura met his eyes again. She didn't care what happened to her, but she did care about her friends. She wanted Sasuke to run away with Naruto when he got the chance.   
  
Sakura looked into Hoshiko's frightening eyes. She became confident that she could win. Hoshiko seemed very powerful, but she knew she had great power within her.   
  
"Hoshiko... even if I die... I will kill you." She said right into his eyes and she had another large blast a chakra come out and Hoshiko did the same. They both released huge amounts of chakra. Sakura and Hoshiko stood across from each other... staring each other down. Sakura... was surrounded by a light blue aura as Hoshiko was surrounded by an evil purple. ( Que the Naruto Fighting Music where they have the ninja guys chanting followed by the cool guitar). '  
  
" Fight Me. " Sakura said. The great battle was beginning...  
  
  
  
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I'll end it there. *yawn* Sorry if that was bad, but it is REALLY late right now and I am starting to get tired. I'll update, so don't worry. I really don't like to leave people hangin. I'm sorry that I didn't update this chapter that quickly. Gomen(Sorry)! Well night night! Feel free to review! Cya soon! ^_^  
  
~ Chelsey-chan 


	12. Chapter 12: Fighting and Avenging

Hey Everyone! lol look i'm sorry for the slow updates but I am REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY behind in summer reading and I have like 16 days to read 4 books and write summaries omg! So it may be like 2 weeks until the next chapter if I'm doing reall badly, I dunno. Actually, probably it won't take that long, but you never know. Ok well thank you for all the reviews! You reviewers rock ^_^. Anyway... fight scene here. Oh and thank you very much Hanyou Roura, but I already have it ^_^. I wasn't sure if people would know the song by it's name, Strong and Strike. I decided to just describe it ^_^. Thank you anyway ^ . ^! I'm saying rotating names of attacks btw. I may say the english name or the japanese name, so just go with it ^_^. Here we go... mwhahaha.  
  
a/n: A lot of this will remind you of other fights, especially Sakura vs. Ino.  
  
Chapter 12: Fighting   
  
The two enemies faced each other down, both emitting tremendous amounts of chakra. They seemed equal in amount. Haruno Sakura was emitting a blue aura of chakra around her, and Hoshiko had an evil aura. Sasuke, who was still too weak to stand, was frightened by their power. He had been worried for Sakura the whole time, but he realized that Sakura could actually beat Hoshiko. Comparing their chakra, they were about the same. He thought to himself, ' This will be a long battle. I hope she'll be alright.' He was sitting up against the tree. He tried to move again, but a large pain went through his body. Thank goodness that man's energy hadn't ripped him apart. He wished he hadn't been hit by the blast, but then he remember why he jumped into it, and he had no regrets.  
  
Hoshiko and Sakura stared at each other, both showing their true power. They both stood in fighting stance, then they launched off the ground. They met with their kunai. They both jumped backwards, throwing shuriken. Hoshiko easily dodged Sakura's, and Sakura just missed Hoshiko's. They ran at each other again, but Sakura started to gather chakra at her feet. She raced towards him at a high speed, but Sakura jumped up right before they collided. She had jumped over him, and she twisted around in the air to land a kick across his head. It sent Hoshiko flying across to the ground. He quickly got up, rubbing off some of the blood on his face.  
  
" Heh. Impressive moves, but don't get cocky. Unlike those two, I'm on a whole other level! " He shouted, as he landed a quick punch in her face. She started to fly backwards, but Hoshiko grabbed her wrist and threw her over his head in the other direction. She went through two trees. Sakura struggled to stand up, but Hoshiko continued. He sent some shuriken her direction, but she swirved out of the way in time. Her back hurt from the collision with the tree. He tried to stab her, but he kicked him away from her. He stumbled back as she quickly performed seals.  
  
"Kage Bunshin no Justu! " Sakura shouted. Sasuke gasped as ten clones of Sakura appeared. They all rushed towards Hoshiko, making like a pyramid around him. They started to beat him to pulp. Sasuke was amazed that Sakura could copy Naruto's technique, but she didn't stop there. Hoshiko quickly escaped using the replacement technique. Sakura made her clones disappear so she wouldn't waste too much chakra. Hoshiko threw a few kunai at her, but she jumped into the air to avoid them. As she jumped, she began performing a number of seals.  
  
" Mythical Fire Flower! " Sakura said, as she started to breathe fireballs. Hoshiko dodged a few but he wasn't quick enough. He was hit a lot on the side. His back and left shoulder were severly burned. Sasuke's eyes widened, ' SHE LEARNED MYTHICAL FIRE FLOWER? That's one of my techniques, it's almost like she has sharingan!'  
  
A/N: No Sakura doesn't have sharingan. Sasuke is just saying that because she is learning a lot of people's technique. You don't have to have sharingan to learn people's techniques ^_^.  
  
Hoshiko fell to the ground. As Sakura fell back to the ground, she pulled out a kunai. Hoshiko realized she was directly over him. She landed, and stabbed the kunai into his stomach. She only got part of it cut, because he blocked it. Hoshiko kicked her off, he quickly examined his stomach and then resumed the fight. Blue fireballs appeared on his fingertips. Sakura was panting, trying to regain her strength. Hoshiko appeared from behind her, and lunged at her with his flaming hand  
  
" SAKURA!! BEHIND YOU!! " Sasuke shouted. She started to turn, but it was too late. Hoshiko had slashed her back, side, and her cheek with his flames.  
  
A/N: Hoshiko's " flaming fingertips" lol are the same thing Orochimaru used. When Naruto started to fight him in the Forest of Death, he had little blue fireballs on his fingertips as he pressed them on Naruto's seal. It knocked him out.  
  
"SAKURA!!!" Sasuke screamed, as Sakura collided with the ground. She was screaming in pain. Hoshiko laughed. He lunged to kill her with his flaming fist, suddenly a kunai stabbed his hand. He looked over to the direction in which the kunai was thrown, Sasuke was still sitting up against the tree. He had his arm extending, as he had just thrown a kunai. Hoshiko's left hand was throbbing in pain.  
  
" Brat! " He said, as Hoshiko faced him. He started to run at Sasuke, when he was kicked from behind. Sakura had gotten up.  
  
" Stay away from them. " She growled. She thanked Sasuke and she ran towards Hoshiko. Hoshiko easily blasted her backwards. Sakura looked up, to see Hoshiko was gone. She started to look around everywhere, when her foot was grabbed from below. She was taken under the ground, only her head was above ground. Hoshiko stood over her, laughing like a maniac. He quickly started to stomp her head into the ground (wow that must hurt huh?). Sakura screamed in pain. She was trying desperately to get out of the hole. She decided to go under instead. She disappeared, then quickly pulled Hoshiko under as well. She got up, but they Hoshiko's head turned into a twig. She quickly jumped out of the way, as Hoshiko as thrown some shuriken in her direction. She returned shuriken fire, but then she stood in shock at what happened.  
  
" Hehe, yes this is my little trick. " He said. He had a similar speaker to Dosu's. But, they were in the palm of his hand, like Zaku's air pressure thingys(^_^),   
  
" You probably remember Dosu and Zaku. Remember that I am a sound ninja as well. I have the same powers as those two combined. These small speakers in my palms are about five times more powerful than Dosu's speaker. With my chakra I can control where the sound goes, but they can also blast things back with sound, similar to Zaku. He can control air pressure." She had dodged the shuriken, but Hoshiko caught her by the arm. He shoved her to the ground and quickly cupped his hands over her ears. An ear shattering ring came into them. Sakura started to lose her balance. Her ears were bleeding. She was screaming for him to stop. She wouldn't be able to hear anything ever again if he didn't stop now! Suddenly, several kunai were thrown into his arm. He had to stop because of the pain. He looked in Sasuke direction and growled. Sakura took advantage of this and with her girl knowhow she kicked Hoshiko off her (let's just say she kicked in a LOW place lol)  
  
" Ahh you bitch! " Hoshiko screamed as he tumbled backwards. Sakura struggled up, she could barely move. His sound attack caused her lose her sense of balance and everything was spinning. Hoshiko recovered quickly and stood up across from Sakura. He laughed, telling her he would end it quickly. Sasuke's eyes widened. Everything after that was a haunting memory. Hoshiko pulled his hands toward Sakura's direction,  
  
"MAXIMUM AIR CUTTER!" He shouted. It was a bright explosion. It terrified even Sasuke, with the terrified screams of pain from Sakura, and the maniacal laughter of Hoshiko. It made a large ringing sound that cause Sasuke to lose his sense of balance. The blast was so large he couldn't see Sakura within, but he heard her terrifying screams. Sakura was inside being almost cut to pieces.  
  
" SAKURA!! " Sasuke screamed to her. The attack stopped, leaving large holes in the ground. Hoshiko stood there proudly, as Sakura was no where in sight. Little pieces of her dress were found with small drops of blood everywhere. Hoshiko had killed Sakura.  
  
" S...Sakura..." Sasuke whispered, not believing his teammate was dead. Hoshiko turned to Sasuke and laughed.  
  
" Well if it isn't the Uchiha that escaped Orochimaru-sama, " He smirked. " Heh. I'll do Orochimaru-sama a favor by killing you now. After that, I'll kill the fox boy. Your teammate Sakura put up a good fight, but no one can match my skills. Sasuke was very angry, he had gathered some energy, but he was still injured badly. Hoshiko walked towards Sasuke when suddenly a log hurdled in his direction. Hoshiko jumped to his left, when a sudden group of kunai flew out of no where. He jumped back, and was surprised to see Sakura come out of no where. She quickly made a few seals and a large amount of fire came from her mouth. Hoshiko was blown out of the way, with severe burns in certain places. Sakura went as fast as she could over to Sasuke and Naruto. She performed yet another set of seals, and places her hands in front of them. She waving them around as a protective bubble-like thing appeared around them. She told Sasuke it was a shield to protect them from any harm. She turned to Hoshiko ( she had her balance back ).  
  
" So you recovered already Sakura? " He said with a hint of amazement in his voice. " Well, it doesn't matter. You will still die today by my hand." They both stared each other down again, gathering chakra for the last attack. The blue aura appeared around Sakura again, as the evil appeared around Hoshiko. Then, something unexpected happened. The curse seal appeared over Hoshiko, giving him an extra boost of power. Sakura was shocked, but she stood her ground. She had the same look of determination as when she fought the sound nins in the forest of death (it was right after she cut her hair and she had that cool profile where she's like get a good look at my back ^_^ so cool!). ( Oh and of course que Strong and Strike here )  
  
' This,' Sasuke thought to himself. ' Will be the last attack. Judging by their faces, it will be the biggest one of all. This will be a battle to remember, '  
  
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OK I'll stop here. Wow this chapter stinks. I'm sorry but I'm like half-asleep and in a huge hurry while writing this. The attacks were mainly like hand to hand combat skills. But, the next attack will be big. I gave Sakura some new original moves like the shield and well her next attack. She also used the fire attacks Sasuke has and Kage Bunshin. Anyway, I'm trying my best! I still have summer reading =P. Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon. Sorry this if you hated this chapter, don't flame me! ^_^ Oh and in case you didn't notice I was using a lot of examples of episode 32 of the anime. Hehehe I loved that episode ^_^. It was soo cool, but not too much of a fight scene =(. I just want to say thank you so much for all the people who reviewed. YOU ROCK ^_^. Thanks for reading! Cya soon! 


	13. Chapter 13: The Moment

Hehe earlier update than expected eh? Well I want to get on with the story. The fighting ends here but there will be some more chapters. Emotion! But don't worry it's not all fluffy duffy. Thank you so much for all of the reviews! Seriously, you guys are so great ^_^. Hehe if this was an episode Strong and Strike would be playing A LOT. Then some sweet quiet piano music in the end. It's short a short chapter, but powerful. Let the moment sink in.  
  
Chapter 13: The Moment   
  
They both were gathering a frightening amount of chakra for the last attack. Sasuke knew this would be the biggest of them all. He had an uneasy feeling. He was actually nervous. It happened quickly, but it was like everyone was watching it in slow motion. Hoshiko and Sakura were gathering all of their chakra. The sky was a violent storm of power. It was dark, and lightning would strike every few seconds. Sakura was more determined than ever. She would kill Hoshiko even if it cost her life.  
  
' It's time.' She thought. Suddenly, at the same time, they both started to perform their seals. Sakura jumped into the air while still performing them. A large amount of energy appeared in Hoshiko's hands as he charged up. Sasuke was shocked that he recognized his technique. It was the chidori. Sasuke was able to use his chidori three times, this guy seemed like he could probably do it about 7 times. But, he was putting ALL of his chakra into this. Sasuke gulped, he knew Sakura didn't know the chidori. He looked up at her, but was surprised.  
  
Sakura's hands were glowing bright, brighter and brighter. Then they crackled as an electric like energy was coming out of them. She was also putting all of her chakra into her arms for this. Sasuke had never seen this attack before. The balls of energy in her hands were glowing bright, they looked like a mixture of fire and lightning. She and Hoshiko came towards each other were they're incredible blasts...  
  
' I have to...' Sakura thought. ' I have to... I have to do this! ' Sakura and Hoshiko neared each other and fired their amazing blasts. Everything was dark except for the clearing that so bright you almost had to close your eyes. Sasuke watched as the two blasts met. Hoshiko and Sakura held them for a few moments, both trying to overtake the other, then the two blasts finally went into eachother. This caused an explosion so bright and loud... it was silent. Sasuke fainted.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Five minutes later... Sasuke slowly opened his eyes. He coughed suddenly, realizing the entire clearing was covered in smoke. He couldn't see anything, but just then he saw a tiny sparkle of light. It came from where Sakura and Hoshiko had been standing. There was light shining there. The smoke began to clear as the wind swept by. The clouds weren't as black anymore. Now they were just a shade of dark gray. The smoke cleared, and Sasuke could make out the figure. It was a beautiful young girl with pink hair with a bright aura around her. She seemed almost sparkling. Hoshiko was completely destroyed. Sakura looked at Sasuke with a smile, then up into the sky. She fainted. With that smile, it seemed like Sasuke's strength came back. He moved his legs and walked over to the girl. She slowly opened her eyes, her eye shimmering with hope, and gave him another smile. She then closed her eyes to rest. Sasuke went down on his knees and cradled the girl in his arms. For the first time in a while Sasuke actually smiled.   
  
' Who ever thought that you contained so much power...' Sasuke thought to himself as he took Sakura in his arms. ' Rest now. It's over. You won.' Sakura was resting in his lap as he smiled at her. The sky shook a bit as it began a light gentle rainfall. 


	14. Chapter 14: Recovery Everyone acknowledg...

Hehe yep I said Ch.13 would take a while but it didn't did it mwhahaha.Here is another chapter for ya! I was reading reviews and I just had to keep going for you guys. Oh and a reviewer made a comment about Sakura knowing Kage Bunshin... well it's fanfiction! If Naruto could learn it in the beginning when he was stupid (I'm not saying he's stupid I'm just saying that he learned it when he didn't have any skills. I'm not insulting Naruto-kun!)... then Sakura could definately learn it. She's the smartest one and she's the best at controling her chakra. Let's just say Sakura has been training... anyway that'll be explained in the story. Thank you so much reviewers! You guys keep me going!  
  
Chapter 14: Recovery  
  
Sasuke looked at the pink haired shinobi unconsious in his arms. It was just hard to believe that so much power had come out of her. It was the same way with Naruto. Sasuke had been shocked with Naruto's power as well. He felt a surge of jealousy for a moment. He stared at her, wondering how she had gotten that much power. Hoshiko was clearly dead. She had literally blasted him to bits... his remains and blood were scattered throughout the clearing, or... former clearing.' She really did a number on him.' Sasuke thought. The clearing had become almost a giant crater. He went over to Naruto, who was still knocked out, and tied a rope around his legs. He attached the other end of the rope around his own waist so he could drag Naruto. He took Sakura in his arms and headed to find Kakashi.  
  
Kakashi was heading back to the forest. He took his eye of Come Come Paradise to look at Sasuke, who had just appeared out of the forest. Kakashi's lazy-looking eye turned to that of concerned. He rushed over to Sasuke.  
  
" Sasuke what happened to you guys?" He said.   
  
" We were attacked by the ninjas that killed Sakura's parents. "  
  
" What??" Kakashi's eye widened. He looked at Sakura who had a few bruises, scratches all over her arms and legs, and it looked like someone had slashed her side with something. Naruto had a few injuries, but he was just knocked out. Sasuke seemed very tired, and he had a number of injuries as well.  
  
" Where are they now?! " Kakashi said seriously. Sasuke shook his head.  
  
" They're dead. " Sasuke replied, noting Kakashi shocked expression. Kakashi was shocked that a genin team could kill those high class ninja.  
  
A/N: Those ninjas traveled in a group, but the people that the ANBU were looking for were Hoshiko, Omezo, and Hojo. Kakashi isn't referring to the little henchmen that they brought with them  
  
" How did you kill them? " Kakashi figured Sasuke had probably killed them, but with the help of Sakura and Naruto.   
  
" I didn't really do much... Sakura was the one who killed all three of them by herself. " Kakashi almost fainted.   
  
" All three? By herself?? " Kakashi asked. Sasuke nodded. Kakashi looked at Sakura, wondering how on earth she could have defeated 3 High Class criminals by herself. He wanted to know the whole story.  
  
" This is amazing," Kakashi said. " It must have been quite the ordeal... tell me about it on our way to the hospital, " Sasuke nodded and they quickly rushed to the hospital. Naruto was taken in and Sakura was put in a special room. Ino had seen Sasuke and Kakashi run into the hospital carrying Naruto and Sakura. Ino was surprised to see Sasuke carrying Sakura (^_^). She went to the ramen shop to get her team to go with her. Team 8 and Team 10 as well rushed to the hospital. Gai's team noticed all the people running and decided to find out what was going on. They went to the front desk, trying to find out what happened. Kakashi appeared and told them to come with him. They followed. Sasuke, Kakashi, Team 8, Team 10, Gai's Team, all of their sensei's, and Iruka were waiting outside Sakura's room for a few minutes. They all wanted to know what happened, and why Sakura and Naruto were in the hospital. Naruto appeared just then asking WHY he was in the hospital and where " Sakura-chan" is. Sasuke told them all to " shut up " as he would explain.  
  
" All right Sasuke... please tell us everything that happened. " Sasuke sat down.   
  
" Tell us why Sakura is still in there! " Ino said.  
  
" Ok..." Sasuke said. He started off by telling them that Sakura had killed three High Class Class criminals. All of them almost fainted. He told them about running into the ninjas, and fighting some of them. Naruto was embarassed when Sasuke said that Naruto was knocked out early on. He went on about the Paralyzing technique and Hoshiko appearing. He explained about jumping in front of Sakura, fearing she would get killed, but he tried to say it like it was just for a teammate. He talked about Sakura's sudden rise in chakra. He explained in detail Sakura easily defeating two of them. He then went on in even more detail about her fight with Hoshiko. He explained that she had power he had never seen from her before. Sasuke also talked about Hoshiko being from the sound and his amazing attacks. He finished after talking about the last attack and her blowing Hoshiko to bits. When he was done, he was surprised to see everyone's mouth open in shock. There was a murmur of talk among the children and even the adults seemed fascinated.   
  
" Will Sakura-san be alright then? " Lee asked. Kakashi told him that they were waiting for the doctors to come out. A few minutes later they said that Sakura was fine, she just had a few injuries. They went on in amazement about how they had never heard of someone minor injuries from those attacks. The doctor smiled. He said they just needed to bandage her up a bit. All of them decided to wait for Sakura. About an hour later the doctor said they could come in. All of the children ran in as the adults waited in the doorway.  
  
" Oh Sakura! " Ino exclaimed looking at her after hearing the story about her power.   
  
" Are you awake Sakura? " Sasuke asked. Sakura slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Sasuke's face.  
  
" Sasuke-kun? " She said. She looked over to the other side of her bed to see Naruto smiling as well. She was between Naruto and Sasuke. She started to sit up and gasped when she saw so many people in the hospital room.  
  
" What is everybody doing here?"  
  
" We wanted to visit you. " Ino said with smile. Sakura smiled back. She looked at her arms and legs which had bandages wrapped around them. She also had a bandaid on her cheek.  
  
" Thank-you " She said smiling at everyone. After a while of talking everyone was eventually kicked out. Sasuke and Naruto stayed though.  
  
" Thanks guys. " Sakura said with a small blush. Naruto smiled his little fox smile. Just then, Kakashi walked in.  
  
" Well guys... you're all ok, but the doctors say you should rest for a week to recover your strength. No training. " Kakashi said smirking. Naruto's had flames in his eyes.   
  
" WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO TRAINING? HOW AM I GONNA BECOME HOKAGE??" Naruto went on yelling. He eventually tired out and fell asleep in a chair. Kakashi smiled at him. He noticed that Sasuke seemed to be wanting to say something to Sakura so he excused himself. He took one last look at Sakura. She was between Sasuke and Naruto, smiling. Her room was covered with flowers from her friends.  
  
' She's lucky.' Kakashi smiled. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura talked...  
  
______________________________________  
  
Hehe well this was just a chapter to keep it going. I expect maybe three more chapters maybe? Maybe more, I dunno yet.   
  
Sasuke: So the point of this chapter was to make sure everyone knew she kicked butt?  
  
Chelsey: Yep! That's right!   
  
Sakura: HELL YEAH!  
  
Sasuke: What was that?  
  
Sakura: Oh..hehe... um... nothing Sasuke-kun! [Damn that was embarassing!]  
  
Chelsey: Aren't they so cute together XD ?! Expect the next chapter soon! We're getting emotional! 


	15. Chapter 15: Memories of Sakura

Hehe well here we're gonna get into some feelings from certain characters... most of this chapter has memories from Ino. I don't really wanna say much cause I'm in a hurry now. Thank you reviewers! Well I'm trying to update but I have about a week for summer reading. Ahhh!!!!! Oh and I think that the chapter after the next one will be the end... *sobs* I may add two more but I dunno. Ino will give up on Sasuke. It will have some heavy emotion from Sasuke and then some SasuSaku. Oh and this chapter does have some things that some of you may not know, but it doesn't actually spoil anything. I hope you like it! Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 15: Memories of Sakura  
  
The light rain had to turned into a shower. Sakura and Sasuke could hear the rain tapping against the window. It was a calming noise. Sakura looked over to Naruto, who was sleeping like a baby. She giggled, ' He's not so bad when he's asleep. ' Sasuke was just staring off into space. Sakura was a bit uncomfortable with the silence, so she turned to Sasuke. Sasuke, feeling someone watching him, shift his gaze at her. She smiled at him. Her emerald eyes were twinkling with happiness. She was always smiling at him, but he never really took the time to actually look at her. Her smile made it seem like everything was alright, and for just a moment... it made him even forget about revenge. It was so odd seeing this happy and cheerful girl... but knowing that she contained incredible power.  
  
" Are you alright Sasuke-kun? " She asked.  
  
" Yeah... fine. " Sasuke replied. " Um... how are you feeling? " Sakura thought it was nice that he actually cared. She was glad he was warming up to them.  
  
" Oh I'm alright, " She said in a weary voice.  
  
" Good, but you should get some rest. "  
  
" Yeah that would help. You should get some rest too Sasuke-kun. We'll be able to train again then. " Sakura said cheerfully. Sasuke nodded. She was aware that Sasuke was a bit upset over not being able to train. Sakura fluffled up her pillow and laid into the bed. But before she went to sleep she spoke,  
  
" Hey Sasuke-kun..."  
  
" Hm?"   
  
" Thanks for saving me from that Omezo's blast earlier. " Sakura slowly closed her eyes. She wasn't facing Sasuke, otherwise she would have known he blushed for a minute.  
  
" No problem. " He whispered.  
  
**** Meanwhile ****  
  
  
  
Ino, who was at her home, was in deep thought about Sakura. She had always cared for Sakura, even when they were rivals. She realized that they had always been friends the whole time. Sakura... the girl she saved a long time ago. Sakura had always been a fragile child, since it is a bit tramatizing ( is that spelled right lol? ) to be picked on in your youth. But Ino knew that Sakura was strong. She remember in their fight when she discovered Sakura had to minds. Ino laughed, ' Maybe there are some things about her I don't know. ' She chuckled at the thought of what Sakura says in her mind XD. Ino's laughter turned to a frown. ' She has changed... she's not a crybaby... I probably don't know what she's like anymore. ' Ino teared up. She wanted her best friend back. ' Sakura...'  
  
******FLASHBACK*******  
  
A beautiful spring day. The flowers were blowing as the wind swept across the open field. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and two little girls( 7 yrs. old), were picking flowers. One had blonde hair and other had pink hair with a ribbon on top. Ino was explaining to Sakura the types of flowers and how to make them into designs.  
  
" This is a cosmos, the most beautiful flower of spring. It means Harmony. You can use it as the center piece in the design. This is a thoroughwart. It just extra." Sakura gazed in awe. ' Ino-chan is amazing! She smart, cute, knows a lot, and has ninja skills. Next to her I'm nothing... I'm just extra. ' Ino picked a flower and put it in her hair.   
  
" Do I look cute with this? Like a cosmos? " She asked Sakura smiling.  
  
" Yes..." Sakura replied.  
  
" What was with the gap? " Ino asked, smiling.  
  
" Ino-chan... if you are cosmos... am I thoroughwart? " Sakura asked. Ino frowned. She thought for a moment.  
  
" No. Well... if you ask me... your not a flower yet... you're just a bud! " She said with a big grin. Sakura laughed.  
  
" Ok. " They sat there for a moment. They looked at all the beautiful flowers. Sakura was thinking about what Ino had just said...  
  
.....  
  
" Ino-chan..." Sakura said.  
  
" What is it? " Ino asked.  
  
" Why did you give me this ribbon? " Sakura turned to Ino. Ino smiled.  
  
" Because... I thought it would be a waste for you to wither away as a bud... " Ino smiled at her and looked at the flowers. Sakura blushed with a smile.  
  
" Because... there is no meaning to a flower unless it blooms... and it may turn out to be..." Ino turned to Sakura.  
  
* " A flower even more beautiful than a cosmos. " *  
  
Sakura trembled. She felt a tear come fall, that was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. ' Thank you... Ino-chan. '  
  
" Come on Sakura! Let's go pick the flowers! "  
  
" Hai! "  
  
********* END FLASHBACK ***********  
  
Ino's tears fell... as she remembered...  
  
' There is no meaning to a flower unless it blooms... and it may turn out to be...'  
  
" A flower even more beautiful than a cosmos! "   
  
  
  
Ino watched with a smile as the rain stopped. The sun slowly peeked it's head out of the clouds, giving hope and lighting up the village just again. Everything was calm now, the sky turned from grey to a sea of color as the sun set. Ino stared into the sunset. She sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes, smiled, and said...  
  
" Sakura... you were a bud... but when you bloomed... you bloomed into a beautiful flower! "  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 


	16. Chapter 16: Sasuke

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto! Don't sue me! But I do own this story ^_^!  
  
Well I just keep bringing more chapters out when I'm supposed to be reading... heh. Alright this will be a chappie showing Sasuke's feelings, however it's gonna begin with Ino giving Sasuke up. Hehe this way SasuSaku is free mwhahaha. It also adds drama ^_^. I think next chapter may be the last *sobs* I've really enjoyed writing this story. For my first fanfic ever, I think it went pretty well ^_^. Thanks for all the reviews! My goal is at least 100 reviews! So far I think I'm at 81!   
  
' TEXT ' = Thoughts  
  
Chapter 16: Sasuke  
  
The sun finally rose at dawn, Ino woke up as the light from the window touched her face. She decided she would drop by to check on Sakura, since she had no training today. She went to get some flowers from her family's shop. She looked around, but stopped when she reached the flower called "cosmos". Ino smiled, as that brought back the memory. She wrapped them up into a bouquet, and set out for the hospital. When she got into Sakura's room, it wasn't what she expected. Sakura was still asleep, and Naruto and Sasuke were by her side. They were both sleeping in chairs on the opposite sides of Sakura's bed. Naruto was lightly snoring and Sasuke had his head laying on Sakura's bed.   
  
' Were they here all night? ' Ino thought as she put the flowers in a vase. She set them by Sakura's bed. She looked at Sasuke, he looked innocent when he was asleep. You couldn't see the cold glare in his eyes. He didn't wear his mask when he was asleep. Ino had to admit she was jealous of Sasuke sleeping next to Sakura's bed. She left the hospital room, wondering about her relationship with Sasuke. Sasuke never liked girls, he never even thought of having a girlfriend. He surely wouldn't have trouble finding one, since almost every girl he meets has a crush on him. Ino and Sakura sacrificed their friendship for him. They even grew their hair out long for him. Sasuke never cared, he was too focused on revenge. He was always cold to them, but Sakura and Ino always came back. ' Sakura is around him more than I am, darn it. ' It was then that it hit Ino. Sasuke would never love her.  
  
' Sasuke-kun will never feel the same way for me.' Ino knew that. She knew she would have to let Sasuke go. He was just a childhood crush. He would never have a crush on her. Just then, Ino realized something else. If anyone could reach Sasuke... it was Sakura. She knew that if Sasuke ever did have feelings for a girl, it would be Sakura. Never her. Ino knew that her love for Sasuke was just a crush, but Sakura... Sakura had a deeper meaning of love. She truly loved him. Ino could see it in her eyes when she cried for him. She knew that whenever something bad happened to Sasuke, Sakura had a broken heart. And Sasuke... when it came to girls... he only had eyes for Sakura. She was only girl he talked to. He did care for her, intimately or not, he did care for her.  
  
********** FLASHBACK ************  
  
" Sakura..." Sasuke said, the curse seal taking over his body. " Who did that to you? "  
  
" Sasuke-kun..." Sakura spoke. " Your body..."  
  
" Don't worry. Most importantly, I feel power inside me. He gave it to me. I know now, I am an avenger. I must do what I can to obtain power, even if I have to let the devil take over my body. I'm feeling really good now..." Sasuke said. Sakura was speechless at this, he wasn't acting normal.  
  
" Now Sakura... tell me... who the hell hurt you?" Sasuke demanded. Before Sakura could answer, Zaku piped up that he did ( that was a mistake lol he's gonna get it now ). Sasuke angrily turned to Zaku. After a short, frigtening display of power, Sasuke grabbed onto Zaku's arms. " You seem to be very proud of your arms. " Sasuke said. His face looked like he had gone insane.   
  
" Stop..." Zaku said. Sasuke didn't, he pulled. In an instand, Sasuke broke both of Zaku's arms. Sakura seemed frightened. Sasuke smiled and turned to Dosu.  
  
" Your turn. You better entertain me more than him. " Sasuke walked forward to Dosu. Sakura was trembling with fear. ' This isn't... This isn't... the Sasuke-kun I know! '  
  
A/N: Even though this is Ino's flashback, I'm still gonna show what Sakura is thinking.  
  
" STOP!" Sakura screamed, as she got up and ran to Sasuke. She quickly grabbed him into a hug from behind. Sasuke quickly turned his head to look at her, but it surprised him to see tears coming for her eyes.  
  
" Please..." She whispered. " Stop." All the markings of Orochimaru's curse disappeared. They both fell to the ground.  
  
**************** END FLASHBACK ******************  
  
  
  
Ino thought to herself, " If anyone can save Sasuke, it's Sakura. " She smiled. ' And they do make a pretty cute couple, hehe. ' Sakura loves him. She grew her hair out long just for him. She took care of it everyday, hoping he would notice her. But when the time came, she cut it all off to save his life. Ino left the hospital, it was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see who it was,  
  
" Hey Shikamaru."  
  
~*~*~*~ Meanwhile... ~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sasuke slowly opened his eyes. The sun had risen already, he looked at the flowers next to Sakura's bed. Naruto and Sakura were still peacefully asleep. Sasuke decided he needed to take a walk. He stuck his hands in his pockets. He walked outside the hospital, and sat on a bench. He was deep in thought about the events that occured in the past three days. He was frustrated.  
  
' It was me... I was supposed to be the strongest on the team. Naruto was dead last in the ninja academy, and I was #1. How is it that he held that much power when I have been training my whole life. ' The image of a man with an evil red glare in his eyes came to mind. Sasuke mentally cursed. ' Sakura had never shown anything near the power she had shown yesterday. Why are their such gaps now? Why am I started to fall behind? Her power had even surpassed his. '  
  
He began to wonder about his teammates. Did he actually care them? He couldn't remember why he had watched out for Sakura ever since her parents died or why he had stepped in front of Naruto when Haku almost killed him. He had also done the same thing for Sakura. If he had died, he never would be able to avenge his clan. He wouldn't be able to revive the clan. But, did he really not have time to have his own life? Could he ever just hang out with friends or even fall in love?   
  
Sasuke convinced himself to live, and live only for one purpose: To kill Itachi and avenge his clan. Sasuke wondered what he would do after that, but he realized it was too early to be thinking about this. He still was no match for Itachi. However, Itachi considered Naruto a worthy opponent. Sasuke cursed again. This wasn't right. He had to avenge his clan. He then remembered when Sakura wanted to avenge her family. It only took her a day to do so. But, when she said she was an avenger, she still remained the same cheerful person. Sasuke, changed his whole way of life. He thought to himself, ' They will only get in my way. ' Sakura however, was determined to keep her friends safe. That helped her avenge her family. He was more determined than ever to kill Itachi for slautering his whole clan. He was given nightmares for his whole life, and now for 24 hours a die he relived that horrible moment. He heard the screams in his head again... his parents bodies lying on the floor... his brother standing over them. " They were a measuring stick to test my power." rang through Sasuke's head. He was shaking with anger. Sasuke needed to know how he could obtain that kind of power. Naruto and Sakura had it, so why couldn't he, a member of genius clan do it? ' What is the answer. ' Sasuke yelled inside his head. Then, he heard approaching footsteps. He looked up to see who it was...  
  
' Sakura. '  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------ 


	17. Chapter 17: The Bond

The Finale!! *sobs* I don't want to finish the story, it's given me a lot of pleasure writing this ^_^. I'm so happy that it's bringing you guys joy ^_^. I hope that the ending is satisfying! My goal is to have 100 reviews, so hopefully it will reach that in the future. Thank you so much for reading, so I'll do my part now... here it is!  
  
Chapter 17: The Bond  
  
Sasuke looked up to into her emerald eyes. She had changed into her red outfit, but she still had so bandages on her arms and legs. She smiled as she to a seat next to him on the bench.  
  
" I thought you'd be out here."  
  
" Why are you here? " Sasuke grunted. Sakura's expression changed to a concerned one.  
  
" Well, when I woke up you weren't there. I just wanted to make sure you were all right." She said, and added. " Is that so wrong? "  
  
" No. "   
  
" So is there something wrong? Do you want to talk about it? "  
  
" No. " They sat in silence for a while. Sasuke was still deep in thought. He turned away. " I'm leaving. I should have left this place. I should have done it a long time ago." Sasuke cursed himself for ever caring for those two. It only made him weaker. Sakura, as if she knew what he was thinking, turned him around and slapped him.  
  
" Don't you dare! I won't let you kill yourself. Look... I-I know what you're thinking ok? Don't think I haven't felt pain, remember I too lost my family. We're a lot alike now. You think you aren't strong enough? You think by leaving you'll get stronger? That's dead wrong. " Sakura yelled. Sasuke stood there, frozen for a moment. She was a bit shocked at what she had just said too. She never thought she would slap Sasuke.   
  
" Sakura...when did you... how did you... become so strong? " Sasuke asked. Sakura looked at him for a minute, then burst out laughing. She laughed as she sat back down on the bench.   
  
" What are you talking about? " She asked him.  
  
" Yesterday! Yesterday you were able to complete your revenge with ease. You defeated those ninjas so easily when even I couldn't! I-I was supposed to be the strongest on our team. But... now ... you and Naruto have surpassed me! What do I have to do?? I train single day, but it's not enough! Why can't I defeat him? I'm a member of the Uchiha clan for crying out loud! You were never that strong before! You and Naruto are way above me now! What is the secret damn it??!! " Sasuke yelled. Sakura sat straight up, her eyes were very wide. She never thought Sasuke would say that. Sasuke let out a sigh of frustration and sat back down. " How can I possess that power?" Sakura gave a short giggle.  
  
" You think I'm stronger than you? " Sasuke gave her a glare. She smiled. " Heh, thanks for the compliment... but I don't think it's true." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. " Sasuke-kun... you have the potential to be stronger than me. You are stronger than me. You just haven't realized the secret to becoming strong when it's right in front of you."  
  
" What are you talking about?"   
  
" Sasuke-kun... the secret to becoming strong is the thing you have pushed away ever since your tragedy. It's love. " Sasuke's eyes widened. "I was able to defeat Hoshiko because you guys gave me the strength. You most of all. Hoshiko killed my family, and he hurt the others most dear to me. You and Naruto are the most dear to me..." Sasuke was swallowed in confusion. " Sasuke-kun, when you have someone precious to you...when you need to protect somone dear to you... only then can you be truly strong. " She turned to Sasuke with a smile. Sasuke, had not expected that to be the answer. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. That was Naruto's secret to.   
  
" Itachi... I have to kill him. You guys just get in the way. You don't understand. " Sasuke punched a fist into his hand. Sakura suddenly grabbed his shoulders and forced him to face her.  
  
" With that attitude, and believing those things... you're letting Itachi win. " Sasuke stared at her. " Itachi... wants you to live a mizerable life. You know... he as good as killed you. I think death would be better than living the life you're trying to live. You're always cold towards us, never happy, never caring about anyone, and pushing away those who care about you! " Sasuke stared in disbelief, and it hit him. Sakura was absolutely right. Itachi wanted him to be afraid, Itachi wanted him to hurt, Itachi wanted him to suffer. Itachi wanted Sasuke to live this life, and he was winning.   
  
" I'm sorry. " Sasuke finally said. " Look... it's just hard for me alright? You don't know what it's like reliving that day, everyday. Always. Their bodies, their screams, his voice. "  
  
" I understand your pain... Sasuke-kun." Sasuke turned to look at her. She gave him a small smile. " You can cry on my shoulder. " For once, Sasuke let the tears that he had been holding back for years fall. He quickly wiped his eyes and was back to normal.  
  
A/N: Don't worry Sasuke isn't becoming a crybaby or anything. He just teared for a sec.  
  
" I'm also sorry for anytime I called you weak. You were never weak, you're strong." Sakura smiled and patted him on the back.  
  
" Thank you so much. I know you will become stronger than Itachi, but don't get forget...to live. "  
  
  
  
He looked at Sakura. He wanted to let her know how much he appreciated her helping him. He then had a crazy thought, ' will I ever fall in love. ' He shook his head to wipe the thought out of his head. He really appreciated Sakura staying by his side. He hadn't told her about the dream he had last night. He began to wonder if it meant something.  
  
***Dream Sequence*** (Sasuke's POV)  
  
I awoke in a room to a crying sound. I looked around to find the source of the noise. My eyes landed on a dark-haired boy crying over his parent's dead bodies. It was the young me. My brother appeared behind me. He started to laugh. I threw a punch at him and he advanced. Fear overtook me and I ran away. I begged him not to kill me. He called me weak and not even worth killing. He told me if I wanted to hate him and kill him, I need to run. I need to survive in an unsightly way. So I ran. I ran and ran but suddenly came to a stop. Orochimaru appeared in front of me, I was back to my normal age. He stretched his long neck and bit me. The curse seal overtook me. I howled in pain. Visions of my teammates appeared in my head. The curse withdrew. I clutched my head and yelled in confusion. Nothing made sense. Darkness overtook me. I slowly opened my eyes, but could see nothing. I began to search around widly, when a twinkle of light caught my eye. Off far into the distance there was a small spec of light, it was moving. I stood there, wondering what it could be. I was on my guard for fear of an enemy. The light was coming close and closer. Then he slowly saw someone's eye glittering in the darkness. He could hear their footsteps. He saw a foot step into the light followed by another. It was then that the figure came out of the darkness... It was Sakura. Holding high the lantern of hope, love and care in her eyes, she held out her hand to him. He grabbed it... then woke up.  
  
***End Dream***  
  
Sakura and Sasuke had been sitting on the bench in silence, until they heard footsteps approaching. They both looked up to find that it was a blonde-haired boy with large fox grin   
  
" Hey guys! "  
  
" Hey." They said together.  
  
" Are you feeling better Sakura-chan?" Sakura smiled at him.  
  
" Much better," She replied. Suddenly, a large growl came from Naruto's stomach. Sakura and Sasuke stared at him. Sakura giggled while Sasuke gave a smirk.  
  
" Hehehe...." Naruto sighed. " Well, I could use some ramen! Wanna come?" Naruto gave them another grin.  
  
" Sure Naruto." Sakura smiled and turned to Sasuke. " Will you come too?" Sasuke gave a sigh and then a nod.   
  
" Great then! " Naruto said. " But uh... you know I could also use some money..."   
  
" YOU IDIOT! " Sakura screamed, giving him a bump on the head. " Do you expect us to always be paying? "   
  
" Come on Sakura-chan! Just this once!!"  
  
" Alright then..." Sakura said, still a little annoyed. [ That little brat! ]  
  
A/N: [TEXT] = Inner Sakura and ' TEXT ' = thoughts  
  
Sasuke found their little fights amusing, but his mind was consumed with many thoughts. A sudden shadow came over him. He looked up to see Sakura smiling.   
  
" Let's go Sasuke-kun! " He nodded back at her. They all started to walk, thoughts racing through our couple's heads. The three of them had their eyes connect a few times... knowing a bond that they shared. They were like a family, they all cared for each other. They had all lost their parents, but they knew that the others were always there for them.  
  
' I've never felt these emotions... but I do know that you... Sakura... are a precious person to me. This emotion is...'  
  
Sasuke and Sakura followed Naruto as he skipped to the ramen shop. Sasuke looked over at Sakura. She looked back. Sasuke slowly took Sakura's hand into his. Sasuke and Sakura walked into the sunset towards the ramen shop, with Inner Sakura's cheers.   
  
[ HELL YEAH! LOVE WINS BABY! ] 


End file.
